Mismatch negativity–stimulation paradigms in past and in future

Abstract

Mismatch negativity (MMN) studies were initiated as part of a well-controlled experimental research tradition with the aim to identify some key principles of auditory processing and memory. During the past two decades, empirical paradigms have moved toward more ecologically valid ones while retaining rigid experimental control. In this paper, I will introduce this development of MMN stimulation paradigms starting from the paradigms used in basic science and then moving to paradigms that have been particularly relevant for studies on music learning and musical expertise. Via these historical and thematic perspectives, I wish to stimulate paradigm development further to meet the demands of naturalistic ecologically valid studies also when using MMN in the context of event-related potential technique that necessarily requires averaging across several stimulus presentations.

Systemic neurophysiological signals of auditory predictive coding

“…Interestingly, in the long latency ERP analysis, CNV and PINV were found in both the active and passive conditions with a similar morphology in the time course domain, although with a higher amplitude in the active condition for the CNV. These results are consistent with previous findings from our group (Ruiz-Martínez et al, 2021, 2022 and, by adding the active condition comparison, provide an additional level of empirical support for the view of these slow evoked potentials as brain predictive coding phenomena, elicited even under unattended auditory stimulation. Moreover, this finding highlights the predictive brain processes of anticipation (CNV) and updating (PINV), respectively, as shared automatic predictive coding phenomena in passive and active conditions.…”

“…Classical oddball paradigms based on pitch or duration deviants have been most commonly used in MMN research (Tervaniemi, 2022), but more complex oddball paradigms, such as those based on auditory patterns, have also been employed in MMN research for their ability to evidence how the neural representation of auditory stimuli encodes not only the physical features of repetitive stimuli but also the abstract attributes derived from common invariant features of the individual events (Korzyukov et al., 2003; Saarinen et al., 1992; Tervaniemi et al., 1994). In recent years, these paradigms have continued to be of important interest and have been studied extensively in the MMN literature, providing further support for the predictive coding view of MMN (Hsu et al., 2015; Li et al., 2019; Ruiz‐Martínez et al., 2021; Wacongne et al., 2011).…”

Markov chains as a proxy for the predictive memory representations underlying mismatch negativity

“…Many studies determined the influence of attention on the respective MMN, or compared MMN between different age groups or clinical groups for a range of features. Others were interested in the acquisition and maintenance of the memory of the representations involved in mismatch processing and the influence of other cognitive factors such as attention or familiarity with the sounds (Näätänen, 1988(Näätänen, , 1992Bartha-Doering et al, 2015;Kirihara et al, 2020;Tervaniemi, 2022;Weise et al, 2023). There are many ways to "translate" an oddball sequence of tones into a Markov chain.…”

Risto Näätänen (1939–2023)

“…These studies also formed the basis of an influential review and model of “primitive intelligence” as reflected by the MMN (Näätänen et al., 2001). Moreover, Risto was among the first researchers in auditory cognitive neuroscience to respect the need for an ecological approach in our field (Tervaniemi, 2022).…”